Imagining a just future for New Caledonia: Green mining, climate justice, and the Kanak fight for independence

Gooch, N

Imagining a just future for New Caledonia: Green mining, climate justice, and the Kanak fight for independence

Gooch, N

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Publisher:: Journal of Australian Political Economy
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Australian Political Economy, 2022, 89, pp. 114-135
Issue Date:: 2022-07-18

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Gooch, N
dc.contributor.editor	Goodman, J
dc.contributor.editor	Rosewarne, S
dc.date.accessioned	2022-11-24T07:33:10Z
dc.date.available	2022-11-24T07:33:10Z
dc.date.issued	2022-07-18
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Australian Political Economy, 2022, 89, pp. 114-135
dc.identifier.issn	0156-5826
dc.identifier.issn	1839-3675
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/163730
dc.description.abstract	Can a just transition be achieved within the context of decolonisation in the south Oceania Island of New Caledonia, a suis generis overseas collectivity of the French Republic? Like its Pacific neighbours, New Caledonia is already feeling the catastrophic impact of climate change. Yet, its post-colonial future, like its past, is deeply linked to struggles over mining sovereignty. New Caledonia is the fourth largest producer of nickel in the world (US Geological Survey 2022), a mineral used historically to make stainless steel for the construction industry. However, with the sudden increase in demand for nickel for lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, New Caledonia is now at the forefront of the global energy transition. One of the country's three nickel refineries, Prony Resources, signed in 2021 its first multi-year agreement with Tesla to supply the electric car maker directly with nickel. As such, the island has been thrown deep into the contradictory global goal of achieving a low-carbon economy whilst extracting even larger quantities of energy transition minerals, with the potential to 'enlarge and intensify social and ecological injustice' (Bainton et al. 2021: 1).
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Journal of Australian Political Economy
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Australian Political Economy
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3316/agispt.20220822072619
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	12 Built Environment and Design, 14 Economics, 16 Studies in Human Society
dc.title	Imagining a just future for New Caledonia: Green mining, climate justice, and the Kanak fight for independence
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	89
utslib.location.activity	Australia
utslib.for	12 Built Environment and Design
utslib.for	14 Economics
utslib.for	16 Studies in Human Society
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true
dc.date.updated	2022-11-24T07:33:09Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	89

Abstract:

Can a just transition be achieved within the context of decolonisation in the south Oceania Island of New Caledonia, a suis generis overseas collectivity of the French Republic? Like its Pacific neighbours, New Caledonia is already feeling the catastrophic impact of climate change. Yet, its post-colonial future, like its past, is deeply linked to struggles over mining sovereignty. New Caledonia is the fourth largest producer of nickel in the world (US Geological Survey 2022), a mineral used historically to make stainless steel for the construction industry. However, with the sudden increase in demand for nickel for lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, New Caledonia is now at the forefront of the global energy transition. One of the country's three nickel refineries, Prony Resources, signed in 2021 its first multi-year agreement with Tesla to supply the electric car maker directly with nickel. As such, the island has been thrown deep into the contradictory global goal of achieving a low-carbon economy whilst extracting even larger quantities of energy transition minerals, with the potential to 'enlarge and intensify social and ecological injustice' (Bainton et al. 2021: 1).

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/163730